Although perhaps not the most popular gun in Black Ops Cold War, the KSP 45 can still hold its own. This burst sub-machine gun is not based on any real-life weapon. Just know it is a mid-tier primary weapon that tends to be outperformed by the AK-74u and MP5. However, it can serve the niche role of being arguably the best mid-range SMG in the game when built correctly.
This isn’t a particularly good choice for those looking for a traditional run-and-gun weapon. Instead, the KSP 45 performs best when utilized as an assault rifle-SMG hybrid. It’s somewhat like a blend between the Black Ops 2 Chicom CQB and Modern Warfare‘s Striker 45. This means the KSP 45 won’t be a go-to weapon or even viable in higher skill lobbies for most players. But you can have some fun bursting people down as long as you’re patient and get used to its unique characteristics.
KSP 45 Perk Greed build
- Muzzle: SOCOM Eliminator
- Barrel: 9.5″ Ranger
- Body: SWAT 5mw Laser Sight
- Underbarrel: Field Agent Foregrip
- Handle: Airborne Elastic Wrap
- Wildcard: Perk Greed
Initially, I built the KSP 45 as a close-range SMG. It did not do a good job of filling that role. Unfortunately, in the sweatier lobbies I tend to find myself in, this thing gets consistently outgunned by the other meta SMGs. Even some top tier rifles like the AK-47 beat me at close range. Given that SMGs are supposed to dominate up close, that is concerning.
However, a switch over to a mid-range, slower playstyle benefited the KSP greatly. I swapped out the No Stock and Fast Mag attachments for just about anything that decreased recoil. As with most burst weapons, the recoil on the KSP 45 isn’t hard to predict. But when you’re trying to extend its range, the vertical kick can result in you needing three bursts to kill. Given its relatively slow burst delay of 90 milliseconds, three bursts is far from ideal. Requiring a third burst of fire cripples your time-to-kill down to an uncompetitive 590 milliseconds. Therefore, making sure all of your shots land to guarantee at least a two-burst kill is the priority. A single burst kill is possible, but I found this occurrence rare beyond five meters.
Both the SOCOM Eliminator and Field Agent Foregrip are your best choices for reducing recoil. The SOCOM Eliminator will drop your vertical recoil down 17% at the cost of a 10% increase in horizontal recoil. Having your weapon bounce left to right between bursts can be infuriating, but thankfully the Field Agent Foregrip helps counteract this. This top-tier underbarrel reduces your horizontal recoil by 20% and your vertical recoil by 6%. When combined with the SOCOM Eliminator, this eliminates most of the recoil so you can focus purely on aiming. You do not need to account for recoil at all with this build.
The Ranger barrel is the go-to for most guns in Black Ops Cold War and the KSP 45 is no different. The 100% increase to bullet velocity helps offset the extremely slow 200 meters-per-second travel time the gun starts with. To put that base number in context, a well built Stoner 63’s bullets travel almost seven times quicker. The KSP 45 is therefore a projectile weapon rather than a hitscan. This means that you will have to accommodate for bullet travel at distances exceeding around 200 meters. That can be difficult to get used to in modes that feature longer distance gunfights like Warzone and Fireteam. Honestly, even at close range, you can occasionally feel the delay before your shots connect with a target. This is probably the biggest con of using the KSP 45.
Since the KSP 45 is inconsistent up close, it’s vital that you use the SWAT 5mw Laser Sight. This body attachment reduces your hip-fire spread by 35%. After equipping the 5MW laser, the KSP 45 is accurate even without aiming in. However, you should still aim when possible to make sure your full burst lands on your target. But with this attachment, you can at least get away with hip-firing if someone catches you off guard up close.
Finally, as with just about any build, the Airborne Elastic Wrap is a must use. For this build, the Wrap reduces your aim-down-sights time to 214 milliseconds. That’s fast enough to outperform most assault rifles and stay competitive with other SMGs. If you are not planning to rely on hip-fire often, switching out the 5MW laser can further drop your aim-down-sights time down to 192 milliseconds. If you do opt for the fastest possible build, then either an optic of preference or the Fast Mag are good alternative attachments.
For more Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War tips and guides, be sure to check out our guides and features hub.
Published: Dec 30, 2020 07:00 pm